Shatterpoint at Yag'Dhul
by mikorebz126
Summary: A year has passed since the Treaty of Coruscant was broken, and again the Republic is on the brink after battling the Sith Empire to a bloody stalemate in the Mid-Rim. the citizens of the Republic are beginning to lose their will to fight, and the Jedi know they must orchestrate a spectacular victory to change the tide of the war. Master Shan sees a shatterpoint...


**Shatterpoint on Yag'Dhul**

**By Mike Rayburn**

**Star Wars: Old Republic Era**

**Rated: T**

**Dramatis Personae**

**Kai-kwon Deo- Human male Jedi Knight**

**Kira Carson- Human female Jedi Knight**

**Satele Shan- Human female Jedi Grand Master**

**Taneer T'laht- Dornean male Republic commando**

**Azi Caruna-Riggs- Twi'lek female smuggler**

**Corso Riggs- Human male smuggler**

**Note: this story is a sequel to a Hollow Piece. In a Hollow Piece Kai-kwon and Kira are newly promoted Knights on Tython who are no longer speaking due to being caught in a relationship as Padawans. Kai-kwon foils a conspiracy on Tython orchestrated by fallen Jedi Bengel Morr. They trace his communications back to Corsucant where the son of Dark Lord Tarnis, Lord Angral, had infiltrated the Republic's military science division to steal a new weapon. Azi Caruna is stuck on Ord Mantell after a criminal named Skavak stoler her ship. She begins working with the Republic to free Ord Mantell so she can leave. She does so with Corso Riggs' help and they leave for Coruscant. By chance they link up with the two young Jedi and with the help of Satele Shan and some other Jedi stop the plot to steal the secret weapon. Darth Angral's death ends the Treaty of Coruscant and war resumes**

**Ch. 1**

Kai-kwon awoke to the sounds of shouts and running from the hallway. He cleared the sleep from his eyes and rolled over to see Kira had not made her way back to her room in the middle of the night. He admired the firm curves of her bare shoulder for a moment, her body had hardened so much in the year since the Treaty of Coruscant was deemed void by the Sith Empire. He traced the line of the scar across her shoulder blade and got a flash of that rainy, muddy quagmire on Serenno where she had earned that scar in a duel with a powerful Sith Saber. She had survived that duel through sheer will and her near mastery of the defensive form V, or Djem So. She had survived, but barely. Another clatter of footsteps outside snapped him out of that painful memory and he placed a hand on her shoulder to wake her, "Kira" she opened her eyes and rolled over to look at him while rubbing the sleep from her eyes. Like all Jedi she was a light sleeper. "Hey…it's morning" he said, anticipating her reaction. He watched as she noticed the rays of light peeking in through the one small window in his room. She sat up and looked around the room as if to verify her suspicions, panic overpowering her normal modesty about nudity. "Why didn't you wake me?!" she said urgently but quietly turning back to him as he laid down on his back again with his hands clasped behind his head. "I did wake you…just now", he said with a slight smirk.

"Then why are you so calm right now? Something is going on outside and I have absolutely no reason to be in here this early and if th-"

"shh-shh-shh" he said reaching up to pull her down into the crook of his chest and armpit.

"Let's just lay like this for a moment, and then a moment later we'll get dressed and meditate. Eventually someone will come to get me and find us meditating…fully clothed in front of a made up bed" he looked down at her with a smile which she finally reciprocated. She looked away and snuggled into him, "you may have just woke me up but you were up for a while thinking about this".

"Aren't you glad I was?"

"Yes".

"Do you want to pay me back?" he asked, the smile evident in his voice. She shot up in false indignation "I think this little bout of insomnia has loosened your grip on reality" she said playfully.

"Because I want you to make the bed? That seems a little harsh" he said mocking her indignation. She laughed, slapping him on the chest before lying back down in his arms. They laid there for a full minute, just breathing in unison before she said "Kai, we really have to get up…"

"I know".

"Kai?"

"Hmm?" she sat up again and turned to look directly into his eyes. Her deep blue eyes reminding him of the churning seas. "I love you" she said softly.

"And I you" he answered in return before she sank into him, kissing him deeply.

His plan had worked to perfection. Ten minutes after getting dressed, his old master Orgus Din announced himself by comm before opening the door. He was obviously just expecting Kai-kwon and was startled to find Kira this early in the morning. If he suspected they had been doing anything other than meditation he didn't let on, and Kai-kwon knew he wouldn't. It had been both their masters who had discovered their affair as Padawans and punished them accordingly, but now the most Orgus would do is try and have a heart to heart with him one day about the consequences of attachment. He would nod and say "I understand" in all the right places but in the end his mind could not be changed. He loved Kira Carson with every midichlorian that made him a living being in the Force, and had loved her since they were kids…nothing could change that. They had both made commitments; their duty to the Order and service to the Force would always come first, and he truly believed he could make that decision if it came to it solely because Kira would never forgive him if chose her over his duty. But what they wouldn't do is deny themselves their love for some absolute rule. Kai-kwon saw his old master catch himself and then re-compose quickly, "Kai-kwon, Kira, good morning"

"Good morning Master Din" Kira answered as Kai-kwon just smiled a greeting.

"I'm glad you're here Kira, it saves me a trip. The Council will need to see you both in an hour. So finish...your meditation and meet me upstairs". Kai-kwon ignored the implication in his pause and instead asked "what's going on Master?"

"I can't say yet but I'm afraid your leave is over", and with that he was gone and Kai'kwon flashed Kira a reassuring smile before they re-settled into their dual meditation.

Kai-kwon glanced at himself in the mirror of his refresher. He too had hardened over the last year. He had always been taller than average but he had added about ten pounds of muscle over the last year of moving from one battlefront to the next. He also had enough scars to rival Master Din. There had been a handful of pacifist senators who had fought the impending resumption of hostilities. Using a senate filibuster to stall for time while their attempts at calling a peace summit with the Empire went unanswered. While part of him was moved by their dedication to peace, another part was frustrated by the compromises they were willing to make to keep such an oppressive peace. He finished shaving and dried his face. This leave had been far too short but the memories of it would see him through the next year, if the Force wills it. Walking up the wide ramp to the fourth, and top floor of the new Jedi Temple on Tython, he glanced over at Kira. Her short dark red hair was tied back in a tight bun, and she wore a small braid that she tucked behind her ear. She was wearing her dark brown robes with her off white tunic with her teal undershirt that just poked through, adding some individuality to the collective uniform of the Jedi. His dirty blonde hair had grown out a bit down to the bottom of his neck. He wore his dark brown robes with his light brown tunic and dark leather vestment. Before long their comfortable choices would be supplanted by their uncomfortable armor. They approached the giant bronze double door that led into the Council, where they announced themselves into the wall-comm and we're let in. They were both surprised to see Grand Master Satele Shan there. Both of them had believed she was still in the Mid-Rim fortifying Republic worlds against the Sith onslaught. Only she and the older Arca Jeth were present in the flesh, four other members were present by hologram. "Jedi Deo, Jedi Carson" she said slightly bowing to which both the Jedi returned a deeper bow "Master Shan" they said in unison. "I know you are both upset at having your leave cut short so I'll do you the courtesy of getting right to the point" she waited for them to nod their understanding before going on, "We finally have some news from our asset. Denerus is joining with Zule on a flanking charge into the core at Yag'Dhul. From there they would control half of the major hyperspace routes and forty-five percent of the goods into the Core, but if we can stop them there…no not stop them, that's what we've been doing for the past year, if we can beat them convincingly, we can turn the tide of this war. General Var-Suthra and Admiral Quell will have more for us when we board the _Excelsior _in the First Fleet. Any questions for now?" she asked but Kai-kwon and Kira were too stunned at the prospect of finally getting the jump on the Sith for once, and doing it with the greatest Jedi either of them have known, that they couldn't think of anything to say let alone ask. "Very good. Meet me in the hangar in twenty minutes."

Exactly twenty minutes later they met Grand Master Satele Shan in the Temple's hangar bay. She had tied her jet black into split braids and was wearing the same dark brown cloak but with a unique sleeveless teal tunic with dark blue gauntlets, pants, and dark leather boots. Her olive skin was still unblemished after forty years of life and twenty years of war. She looked exactly as she did just over a year ago when she decapitated the son of Darth Tarnis, who had infiltrated the Republic's secret weapons project to steal the technology behind the now defunct Desolator Project. A weapon designed to seal a planet's atmosphere from entry or exit, allowing them to imprison enemies on any planet they land on. While that may seem beneficial in war, it was its possible peace-time uses that worried the Order, forcing Grand Master Shan to illegally destroy the data stolen by Saber Kan. She greeted them as they approached and the three, including Kai-kwon's adopted astromech droid T7, walked up the ramp of Jedi Defender Ryo. As he stepped into the cockpit, he saw two non-Jedi he knew from the Temple at the pilot and co-pilot chairs. Antarian Rangers were an Order based on Toprawa, and dedicated to the light side of the Force. They held either no Force sensitivity or too little to be noticed by the Jedi. Originally they had only recruited their members from the Toprawa system, one of the more faithful in following the Force, but now counted members from nearly every region of the Republic. These two were Adamese Gallo from Coruscant and Niki Tienjay from Onderon. Niki flashed a smile as she looked over her shoulder at Kai-kwon which he returned. "The coordinates to Yag'Dhul are logged in Grand Master" Adamese said, his dark hair falling to his eyebrows. "Then let us not waste time. Getting there will only be the first step in our journey." She said strapping herself into the larger commander's chair, slightly above and behind the pilot's station. Kai-kwon and Kira grabbed the two jump chairs behind Master Shan and strapped themselves in just as the Defender began rising out of the Temple hangar. Kai-kwon looked across at Kira who felt his eyes on her and met them as they shot out of the Tythonian atmosphere.

**Ch. 2**

Sixteen hours later the ship started reverted back to real-space at the edge of Yag'Dhul's two planet system. Yag'Dhul was the type of planet no early Coruscanti astronomer would have predicted life could evolve on. Reddish methane oceans and a red rocky surface unchanged over the entire planet. Because of this the Givin had actually evolved to survive in vacuum for about half an hour if need be. Looking at the red and pink surface through the viewscreen, Kai-kwon wondered, not for the first time, if the Givin were left here after evolving somewhere else. A bi-pedal species with a hard exoskeleton and giant eyes the color of coal and a mouth that was forever gaping. He had only heard about their unusual mouths since the only time he had seen a Givin was on Coruscant and the diplomat was wearing a methane re-breather. Having entered into an economic alliance with the Republic almost two thousand years, the Givin still guarded their neutrality, and took a passive stance to the galactic war. But sitting at the intersection of the Corellian Trade Run and the Perlemian Trade Route was going to make the decision about getting involved for them.

What the system lacked in planets it made up for in satellites and Yag'Dhul had seven moons, three close enough to create immense gravitational forces. Forces so strong that every other day these three moons would align on one horizon, creating a gravitational pull so strong that it literally created an atmospheric vacuum on parts of the planet. The Defender began to vibrate as Adamese and Niki piloted the craft through the planet's crimson atmosphere. Adamese who had the yoke was straining more than Kai-kwon had ever seen him struggle, undoubtedly due to that strong gravity. He watched as they finally broke through the cloud bank and began a rapid descent down to the capital of the Givin Domain, Dodecapolis. The capital, like all things with the Givin, was founded and designed based on mathematics. The Givin were governed by a ruling council known as the Body Calculus. A council of nine comprised of the best mathematicians in the Domain. Math was their religion and all Givin were faithful children of that doctrine. All decisions the government made were based on the outcome of mathematical models, and unfortunately for the Republic, all their calculus told them to sit this war out. He unbuckled himself from his jump seat as he felt the landing struts come to a rest on the hard surface of Dodecapolis's only spaceport. A large facility in the shape of a perfect giant oval. The blast of warm and fetid air greeted them from the opening ramp and he shot Kira a reassuring look as Master Shan passed between them and down the ramp. Niki and Adamese grabbed their extendable plasma staffs and clipped them to their belt before gathering behind him and Kira. There was no written formality to the customs between Jedi and their Ranger allies, but whenever possible the Rangers erred on the side of deference. In this case waiting until the Jedi were ready and letting them descend next behind the Grand Master. At the bottom of the ramp Kai-kwon finally came face to face with a mask-less Given, and while he found their appearance similar to that of a human skeleton it didn't throw him off the way he feared it would. After so much close contact with members of others species he began to see their physical differences the same way he viewed the different colored hair and eyes of his own people. This particular Givin was named Nisil Karth, and he was the personal assistant of the Prime Councilor Lersia Nalas. He greeted Kai-kwon and the others, including Niki and Adamese, with a deep bow, and bid them to follow him to their pre-arranged living quarters in the governmental palace. On the short speeder drive through the capital Kai-kwon was introduced to a strange city, designed in all different geometric shapes and made almost exclusively out of a sand colored stone. They passed open air markets and some kind of oval shaped sporting arena currently hosting a pretty raucous event. They finally came to a stop in front of the Council Palace, or home of the current Councilors and assorted governmental bureaucrats. Nisil pointed to the large pyramid rising above the low skyline which shone bright in Yag'Dhul's illuminated evenings, "that is where the Council will receive you in the morning", he stated matter-of-factly. This building was square and massive, and like the rest of the city, was made of some large-cut granite like stone. Inside the palace there was more of a decorative feel with red and pink plants lining concaved windows along the main hallway. While the Palace was the home of all nine members of the Council, in addition to their administrative aides, it also had a guest wing reserved for visiting dignitaries. The fact they were being put up here was a sign that the Givin were taking them seriously. Kai-kwon could only hope they took their circumstantial evidence just as seriously. But judging by the nervousness shown by servers and other Palace functionaries during dinner that first night it would not be an easy sell.

After a restless night they were back in their speeder as it whipped onto a U-shaped entrance road that pulled up to a tall and perfect pyramid, as they exited and began to climb the stone steps that led to the entrance of this unique governmental palace. Red robed Givens greet the party with low bows as they gesture for the party to enter the great pyramid. There is no anteroom, walking into the pyramid Kai'kwon is able to look all the way up the bottom of the pyramid's capstone. The interior floor is polished stone while the walls remained roughly cut where each individual block is distinguishable. At the back of the hundred yard open floor is a large dais with nine purple robed Givens seated behind it. The Given in the center of the dais whose gold trim on the shoulders of his robe announced his position as Prime Councilor Lersia Nalas spoke first in barely comprehensible basic; "We the Given Domain welcome the representatives from the Jedi Order" his mouth unmoving, and his long three fingered hands lying flat on the table before him. Kai-kwon took his cue from Grand Master Shan who bowed reverently before saying "we appreciate your welcome Prime Councilor. Allow me to introduce Knights Kai-kwon Deo and Kira Carson" she indicated them both as they stepped forward and bowed in unison, peeling back their hoods as they straightened, "as well as Antarian Rangers Adamese Gallo and Niki Tienjay" the two Rangers greeted the Council with a nod. Lersia Nalas nodded slightly himself but said nothing, and Satele stepped back in front of the two Knights and held out a datacard, "if I may?" Councilor Nalas answered by way of indicating the large stone table in the center of the room. She placed the datacard into the slot of the unique circular holo-display. Rising above the table was a star map of quadrant six of the Colonies with Yag'Dhul right at the center on the crossroads of two of the largest galactic highways in the Republic, the Perlemian and Corellian Run. Red triangles represented the Sith fleet while the blue triangles represented the Republic. Satele walked around the display pointing to a grouping of red triangles flying perpendicular to Yag'Dhul, but very close to the Republic's border. "This holo was recorded right before we left. As you see the Imperial Fourth and Sixth Fleet is heading on what looks like a border patrol mission. You will see they left behind parts of the First, Second, Third, and Fifth fleets, which are headed to Duros. Only what the Imperials don't know that we know, thanks to a single brave spy, is that those are not the Third and Fifth fleets…they are ghost fleets. Or replica ships completely empty of soldiers and fighters, the true Third and Fifth Fleet are still on Devaron, and just waiting for the feint to Duros to be completed. Once it is they will takeoff to reinforce the two light cruisers which I assure you will make a ninety degree turn for Yag'Dhul as soon as our ghost fleet gets close to Duros". Allowing the Council one last look she closed the display and returned the card to her pocket, calling the Council's attention back to her, she said "what the Republic is asking of the Givin Domain is your allowances to land our three best battalions, construct temporary forts outside Dodecapolis, and most importantly, we want your army to join forces with ours since we cannot land the requisite force until after the feint is completed." True to their reputation this announcement and request did not elicit any response or reaction of any kind. After a moment of awkward silence Lersia Nalas spoke up, "We will take your request under advisement", and with that brief reply the red robed Givin guards began to walk towards the group of Jedi. The message was clear; the meeting was adjourned.

After leaving the Council Ministry the Jedi and Rangers were driven back to their guest rooms in the Council Palace, just a five minute speeder drive from the pyramid. There was no rest to be had though, they had just finished an…interesting breakfast in the large Palace dining hall when Nisil Karth was alerted that the Council had made its decision. Leaving their plates and their uncomfortable Givin breakfast companions behind, they followed Karth back out to the awaiting speeder. "Is that a normal timeframe for them?" Kira asked Satele when they were far enough behind their hosts walking back to the entrance of the Palace "it is. In fact I thought it was a little long". Seeing their confusion she continued, "all decisions rendered by the Council are done so by a series of mathematical equations. If the algorithm presents a probability, than that is the option they will act on". Kai-kwon tried to wrap his head around that one. "Then why have a Council at all, why not just build a computer to render their verdicts?" Adamese asked for them all. "Math is more than a system of equations here Ranger Gallo, it is their religion and the soul of who they are…as such computers are blasphemous on Yag'Dhul. All math must be done by the Givin mind". Had it been a more secular group that answer may have only added to the confusion, but with this group it was as good an explanation as there was.

Within ten minutes they were walking back into the great pyramid. Again the Dominion Council was already seated awaiting their arrival. This time there were no greetings or pleasantries of any kind, and Kai-kwon thought he felt an air of tension between the Councilors. Lersia Narth cut through the tension quickly enough, "even factoring in the uncertain credibility of your…agent…our calculations confirm your theory about the likelihood of an Imperial invasion, but with only a slight majority in probability. As such, we will allow you to land troops and construct temporary buildings and armaments…however when we factor in past engagements a Republic victory is not probable, therefore we must insist that you stay out of Dodecapolis, as we must preserve our neutrality in your war" he said emphasizing just who he thought was responsible for the current chaos in the galaxy. A partial victory and Master Shan knew it. Having the Givin rise up and act as a guerilla force until reinforcements arrived looked like it would be a bridge too far…but she gambled anyway. "Supreme Councilor if I may, you are hedging your bets but the Sith will not make that distinction. Allowing us to use your planet takes you out of the realm of neutrality, you may as well defend it with us" she said matter of factly. "Would you prefer we not allow you to use the planet? I assure you there are a slight minority of us, myself included, who prefer that option" he asked smugly.

"Do that, and I assure you this Council will no longer be the supreme authority on Yag'Dhul" Satele answered with an assuredness that seemed to rock the antagonistic chief Councilor. She did not wait for him to recover either, instead turning on her heels with Kai-kwon, Kira, and the Rangers in lockstep behind her.

They hadn't been summoned back to the Council again, and Satele had made her call to the waiting frigates in the next system over. Traveling in merchant ships would make the delivery of troops and materiel look like a routine delivery of trade goods, albeit a delivery of coincidental timing to any suspicious Sith commander. They had been left alone until the next morning when they were taken to the pre-determined desert plain where they would make their headquarters for the upcoming battle Satele knew without a doubt was coming. Unlike the Givin Council she had no question about the credibility of the spy whose information spurred them into action, since he was her son Theron. Though she had given him up at birth for the sake of the war effort, she had always maintained a close watch of his career in the Republic Strategic Information Service. She shook off thoughts of motherhood and returned to the immediate problem. She could call in the Third fleet now with the Hundred and First and Two Hundred and Twelfth battalions, but in the end that would defeat the entire exercise. They needed to beat them, not just scare them off. To do that this had to maintain the image of a normal picket of an important region, not a concerted defense of a planet their spies were certain was next for the Sith armada.

**Ch. 3**

Taneer T'Laht opened his eyes and glanced around to each member of SIR-7, or Special Interdiction and Reconnaissance team-7 the preeminent Republic commando squad, currently heading for Yag'Dhul, and he couldn't get over the youth of the three new members. _Was recruiting so low that they were pulling them right out of basic? _He thought as he looked hard at Amina Sundiver, a human female from…somewhere in the Rim, Terik Bondari was a human male from the Capital, and To-Fal-Drossa was a Cerean male…none of them were over twenty-five cycles. _Hell it had taken him eight years in a basic infantry unit before he got the tap on the shoulder. Two years of subsequent training and he was twenty-nine before he ran his first mission with the unit…that was…well too many years ago to think about without wincing._ He shook his head and propped his long Dornean legs up on the ammo crate in front of him. The Convors as they were colloquially called, after the fiercest bird of prey in the known galaxy, had been given their own cargo pod in the giant transport freighter, a room that usually handled the most fragile cargo. While the manifest for both the _Stellar Venture _and _Erowon _listed medical supplies and food stufts to be transferred to a dozen smaller ships on Harrin, the medical supplies were the only honest part of the bill of materiel, and they were only about one-tenth of their reported weight. The rest of the freighters were filled with soldiers and ammo. "So you want to give us the rundown Chief?" said Sundiver, her short black hair framing a square, but not completely unattractive face. "yeah since you're up and everything now boss" chimed Bondari next to her, the short wiry human had a nasty vibroblade scar that ran lengthwise across the bridge of his nose and under his right eye, further spoiling his pretty homely face. "You want to chime in Drossa? Better do it now" he asked sarcastically but the Cerean just opened his right eye and grunted. "A week ago the boys…and girls of intelligence came across some that said the Imperials would be launching a surprise attack on Yag'Dhul in an attempt to put a stranglehold on Republic shipping. Knowing the Hydian trade nexus was watched by numerous picket probes, they launched a ghost fleet on a trajectory to Duros. Once they land on Yag'Dhul the bulk of their actual fleet will be grounded on Woostri, waiting for confirmation or a distress call."

"That's a lot of heavies sir" Stardiver stated.

"It is Corporal but we have our own heavies".

"Where? Asked the Cerean speaking for the first time.

"We just passed them actually, on Thyferra, about eight hours closer than Woostri".

"So the combined fleet sent out the other day was our own ghost fleet?

"Exactly Major". Taneer said with a confident smile that belied his instinct. Maintaining a ghost fleet was hard enough, but it was always easier for the aggressor. If the sheet was pulled off their fleet they knew the enemy still might not know their actual target, if our fleet was raised they would know exactly where our live fleet would be.

"What about assets on the ground?" asked Drossa, still with one eye closed as if he was sleeping in between questions.

"For now it's us and the three Jedi on the ground" he answered waiting for the indignation he knew was coming.

"Three Jedi!?" blurted Sundiver as she leaned forward on her bench. "When do the rest get here?" asked Bondari

"They'll be a bit behind the fleet on Thyferra. We couldn't pull the Generals from their respective theaters without raising alarms…if everything goes to plan we shouldn't need them, but they will be on their way if the plan goes to pot". The two humans shook their head and Drossa snort-laughed but they knew better to keep harping on it. It wasn't a soldiers lot to wonder why…or so the old Dornean poem went..or was that a human one, he couldn't remember that far back to primary school.

"So who are these Jedi? I hope the best the Order has" Sundiver asked with a resigned look.

"pretty close Corporal. The two Knights I fought with on New Apsalon and Tanaab, names are Kai'Kwon Deo and Kira Carson-"

"-really? Deo and Carson? Hmph" Drossa added sitting up for a moment and then leaning back again.

"what's up Dro? You know of em?" asked Bondari slapping the Cerean on the shoulder with the back of his gloved hand, causing the large alien to shoot lasers at him out of his one opened eye.

"Yeah…on Corsin I think…or it could've been Gennassa"

"That's a big difference Dro, one we won and the other we got slaughtered"

"…it was Corsin then because I remember these two young Jedi being a big reason we won."

"Yeah it was Corsin" interjected the Captain. "Separately they may be the two most powerful young Knights in the Order, but fighting together they have been nearly unstoppable for us. Carson is a defensive master and can lead charges shielding nearly the entire front line with her saber staff. Deo has quickly become renowned as the best young blademaster in the Order, he's big, fast, and has already bested two Sith Masters in single combat and probably a dozen Sabers. Trust me these are the two to have by our side down there." He said leaning back with an internal grin at his motivational skills.

"Who's the third?" asked Bondari. Now it was the time to smile externally as he said "that' will make a nice surprise, you'll see in a few hours."

The cargo freighterslanded just about three hours later. Registered with Czerka, they were two of the half dozen or so ships that normally made the Yag'Dhul run. Getting the neutral Czerka Corporation to help had cost far more than Satele thought it should have, and if the Sith bypassed Yag'Dhul she and the Order would most likely be forced repay the Republic Treasury. Kai-kwon and Kira were standing with their hoods on to block the swirling red dust of Yag'Dhul that was being kicked up by the thrusters of the arriving frigates. They greeted many of the arriving soldiers, all offering enthusiastic nods and some of the greener ones sticking out their arms in greeting. Eventually the leader of maybe the best Special Forces unit in the Republic appeared at the top of the ramp, flashing a toothy grin as his team appeared on each shoulder in their civilian clothes, packs slung over their shoulders. Kai-kwon knew from his two months on Manpho that no praise was too high. "Taneer" he said using the green skinned warrior's first name as he embraced him at the bottom of the ramp, "Kai-kwon. I'm glad it's you here" He said with a slap to his back, initiating the end of the embrace. "Likewise" he answered with a reciprocal slap. "How are you Taneer?" Kira broke in giving him a quick hug and kiss to his cheek. "Surviving Kira…you heard about Centares?" both Jedi nodded solemnly, "bloody mess that was…but a few of us made it through…and now we're here and it'll be good to get the jump on these bastards for a change". He turned to his team behind him, almost all of whom were new. After meeting the three recruits, Kai-kwon gave a quick handshake to Io Zeedo, the Rodian tech who was the only other one besides Taneer to make it off the blood bath on Centares. In addition to the two battalions of Republic troopers, there were three units of system militias from Thyferra and a few others. They spent the rest of the day setting up a base camp and scouting positions. If the Sith were coming they would break for Yag'Dhul before sunrise.

**Ch. 4**

Kai'Kwon awoke with a start and immediately reached over to the empty space on the cot next to him. Kira had been sleeping in his quarters so often that it had become habit for her to be next to him, but this time he reached for her out of fear she had really been struck down. The fog of sleep lifted and he felt the sweet relief that his nightmare was just that, a nightmare….or was it premonition? Sometimes he mentally cursed his connection to the Force. The thoughts were swirling now and the hope of further rest was dashed by the anxiety that accompanied them. He stood and draped his sleeping robe over his bare chest and stepped into his slippers. He walked out of his tent and into the cool dry air of the Yag'Dhul night. The red dwarf star that gave life to the system would barely have been able to light the planet had it not been for the planet's three large moons, all taking up large swaths of the horizon to the north, east, and south. He had been told the alignment could leave seas over two hundred feet in depth, no more than standing puddles for the half a day the extreme tide lasted. It would be nice to figure out a way to use this natural phenomenon to their advantage, but without the Givin there was little hope of that. He glanced over to the small tan tent he knew Kira was sleeping in and thought about slipping in to spend an hour or two with her in his arms, but before he could make a move to that much needed reassurance he noticed Grand Master Shan standing alone, looking out over the valley. He thought about it for a second and then walked over to join her at the edge of the shallow cliff. "Couldn't sleep either?" he asked from behind knowing of course that she could sense his arrival long before he got there. "No" she said softly without looking back. Kai-kwon couldn't think of anything to add so for some reason he thought reassurance would be best "I'm sure you're right Master…about the Sith". Now she did glance back over her shoulder "As am I Kai-kwon, that's not what troubles me". That was the first time she had called him by his first name since he was a youngling, and he was a little caught off guard by the informality. "Then what is it?...I mean if I may ask?" he asked tentatively.

"Sometimes I wonder if the Sith don't have the right idea" she said still looking out over the barren landscape.

"You don't mean that" he said confidently.

"No…no, I don't" she said looking back with a quick smile "but sometimes trying to work within the confines of our philosophy feels a lot like herding stray nexus, trying to get all these beings to look past their own self-interest and see the danger in front of their face".

"That, I do understand. How people can be so blind".

"They're not blind Kai-kwon", she said turning to face him now, "they see the threat, but they all want to wait until the diyark is in their house before clubbing it with a broom, rather than confronting it outside with a blaster."

"Most citizens didn't seem to even pay attention until the Sith moved into the Colonies. Sometimes it feels like we and the army risk everything for people who don't understand or don't care," he said shaking his head as Satele turned back to look out over the valley again. He took that as his cue and turned around to go back to his tent for the last few hours before sunrise "you're wrong Kai-kwon. We don't fight for people who don't care. We fight for the right for people not to care…if that's what they so choose" she said with an honest smile "get some rest".

"You too Master" he said returning an awkward smile.

"I think I will now. Thank you" she said but she was still gazing out over the deep valley as he closed the flap to his tent.

The next morning brought a buzz of activity, as right on schedule, the now identified Imperial light frigates; _Atticus _and _Emperors Sky _made ninety degree turns for Yag'Dhul. Due to the system's location the turn could be mistaken for a detour to picket the trade nexus but thanks to their anonymous spy the Yag'Dhul defenders knew better. The ambush sites were pre-selected the night before to correspond to their landing site. Each one had its advantages and disadvantages, and the site near the Kana'Ful Basin had some of the best and the worst. The Basin was near the Kana Sea and the path it presented to Dodecapolis was rather straightforward, once their army got through Dyhedra Pass, the narrow gap between the unnamed stand-alone twin peaks that overlooked the basin. That narrow gap meant the attacking army would be densely packed in for about one kilometer before the path to the capital opened back up into a wide expanse of barren rock and desert. That was also its downside, being the only natural structure between the Basin and the Capital it was an obvious ambush site. Even if their subterfuge had worked completely and the Sith believed Yag'Dhul was completely devoid of a Republican presence, they may still be on guard for a Givin attack, even though their intelligence had most likely told them of the Domain's reluctance to fight. _On guard was okay_ Kai-kwon thought to himself entering the command tent, suspecting an ambush was something else entirely. The command holo-table was a Rizzel nest of activity. He and Kira approached as Colonel Bedarik and Grand Master Shan were in the middle of an animated discussion over tactics. He glanced around, finding Taneer and his team in the corner huddled around a stack of armament crates, and he decided to join them rather than wade into the tactics debate.

"What's going on Major?" he asked as Taneer held up a finger to one of his comrades as the two Jedi approached.

"As far as we can tell, they're arguing over air power. The Grand Master wants birds in the air to initiate the ambush, while the Colonel wants them grounded until the trap has been sprung, believing they could give away our presence".

"There's a good chance the Sith will sniff out this ambush anyway" Kai-kwon said ominously. Taneer shot him a smile "sure, they might, but you don't think we should give this ambush every chance" he asked without malice. "I think we should give it a good chance, but even if it works, there's no guarantee they won't have attack ships already in the air. This is a big play for them, I think they're going to take every precaution".

"I trust your judgment Kai-kwon" the warrior said giving him a tight nod.

"let us go lend our voice to Master Shan", Kira said standing up. "See you in it" Taneer replied as they made their way to the table.

**Ch. 5**

Two hours later Kai-kwon and Kira were in place, crouching on a fairly narrow ridge about thirty feet up from the valley floor. There had been no do or die speeches, no rousing 'for the Republic' cries… only commands. Most knew what the Givin couldn't comprehend, that no matter the outcome this morning, a new theatre was being opened up today and there would be time for rousing last stands much later. They had gotten word an hour earlier that the entire Third Fleet was 'fueled and fit', and awaiting word on the surface of Thyferra. From his perch on the red rock of the western twin of the twin peaks that overlooked the Kana'ful Basin, Kai could see Satele and most of Taneer's team crouched behind a ten foot drop off where the main rocky pathway through the valley dropped off. He could also see Sundiver on a ridge much like their own but higher up, about a third of the way up the peak across from the one they were clinging to somewhat precariously. There were a number of other basic army sharpshooters in elevated positions throughout the valley. A minute of silence later he looked to the horizon and saw the first glimpse of the dark armor and grayish metal of the Imperial war machine…another mile and he would begin sensing the dark presence that matched their armor. The Jedi were obscuring their presence in the Force, but soon the Sith would get to a distance where that would no longer be possible, the army was another story. For now they would be mixed in with all the life on Yag'Dhul, but eventually the Sith would distinguish their presence. Part of the plan hinged on that not happening before they were halfway through the kilometer long valley. After that point there would be no turning back. The commanders had considered sending a flanking force around behind the army, but the logistics did not really work, and besides, the mission was to drive them back, not get into a battle of obliteration that would cost too many lives. The first division of infantry entered the valley, followed by light walkers, their four legs sending reverberations throughout the canyon everytime their legs found purchase. Behind the two walkers he could see his first Sith, a tall human with a black robe and silver armor, he couldn't make out his face yet so couldn't place him as a master or saber, but he definitely held the bearing of a master, his height hinted at his being Zuhl. Little was known about Zuhl, he like Malgus and most of the Dark Lords had been born and raised in the Dromund Kass sector and completely unknown to the Jedi Order before the start of the war. For a moment he pitied the man. Like a street urchin in the Coruscant undercity finding deathsticks for his mother, Kai knew he never stood a chance. He was never taught there was another way, would never know love, compassion, camaraderie. He shook the thoughts from his mind, this wasn't the time to be overburdened with sympathy. He looked out again and saw the first battalion approaching the point of attack and he reached over and clasped the back of Kira's neck with a gentle hand, she reached up and put her remarkably cool hand on his cheek. Nothing was spoken, nothing needed to be, they had performed this ritual a hundred times over and all it took was a look into each other's eyes to confirm their love, and reassure each other that nothing could happen this morning to break their bond, in this world or the next. He could just make out Taneer on the comm, when suddenly the Imperial line came to a halt as the Sith at the back, now easily identified as Zuhl with his long jet black hair tied into a long braid, and his facial tattoos, began moving up the line to the front with three more Sith moving up from the very back of the column. The other three were all wearing various masks, a common ritual among Sabers…no sign of the dark skinned Denerus though.

"Something's wrong" Kira whispered sharply.

"They know" he answered with a slow exhale. Just then they heard the high whine of sublight engines roar overhead followed by an explosion, for a split second he thought they had crashed into the mountain but the whine of engines continued and he looked up to see two Sith Interceptors streaking down out of the red cloud bank as the pieces that had once been the Aurek Strikefighters fluttered into the mountains around them. He briefly looked for an ejection parachute before he heard "for the Emperor!" ring through the canyon, followed by a battle yell from the red and black infantry as they charged down the canyon to the Republic positions. Satele recovered quickly and rallied the stunned troops with a yell of her own as she Force jumped up to the main valley floor as the two Rangers Niki and Adamese led the army behind her, vibrostaffs held high as they began climbing over the natural cover and into the chaotic battle. Kai-kwon and Kira had to wait until the Republic line got close enough that they could jump into the fray without being stranded. Once they did Kai-kwon landed with a swing that took off the head of an Imperial commando, and the two Jedi began hacking, parrying, and dodging back to Satele and the frontline. After ten minutes they had regained some of the lost momentum. As much as he would like to take credit, the rebalance had come from the snipers. Even though the Empire had managed to sniff out the ambush they hadn't been able to counter all of the Republic's moves, and the monopoly on the elevated positions was proving a vital lifeline. Removing his blade from the chest of another commando, he let go of the soldier's wrist, as the dead commandos vibrosword fell to the ground, he looked up to see one of the Sith Sabers he had seen walking up from the back ten minutes ago. For a brief moment he thought he recognized the gait and fighting style of a Sith he had crossed blades with back on Wukkar…Zeon was it? Like most Sith he was a human, or at least humanoid, a bit shorter than himself. Even though the battle raged around them they had found a small pocket in the sea behind a warren of sharp rocks. "Jedi Deo" said the masked man, _so he did know him_…"now we will finish what we started on Myyrkyr"…well one for two…it had been a long year. "Saber Zeon" Kai-kwon answered reigniting his blade and bringing it up perpendicular to his forehead before bowing slightly and whipping the blade back around in his Djem So fighting stance. To his credit the Sith followed the honorable salute with one of his own. With the flow of battle moving around them they crossed their blue and red blades over their heads, the Sith began as the aggressor with a series of lightning fast strikes that rocked him back on his heels. Kai-kwon was edging closer to the steep mountain behind him and began to press his counter attack. The strength of his attack pushed the Sith back the other way and Kai landed a crossing blow that knocked the smooth black mask from the darksider's face. For the briefest of moments Kai focused on the translucent pallor and yellowing eyes of a man being warped by the darkside…that brief moment was enough to lose the overall momentum of the fight. A moment later there was nowhere else to go. Saber Zeon brought his blade down in a low sweep but was blocked by Kai's, who then turned in one smooth motion and ran up the steep rock face behind him, somersaulting over the head of the Sith, who turned immediately bringing his blade on a horizontal plain that would have cut Kai'Kwon in two at the waist had he not readied a Force push in midair which he used to push the Sith's blade arm back for just a second, a second long enough for him to thrust high with his left arm, and before Zeon could regain the momentum in his blade hand he was staring at the metallic and black hilt of the heretical Jedi , it's blue blade igniting his throat in an intolerable fire. Kai'Kwon saw the confusion and fear in the eyes of his defeated opponent as he tried to twist his head to confirm the deadly nature of what he felt was happening to him, but the blade was preventing him from doing that. He quickly extracted the deadly obstruction and caught his foe from behind as he fell to the hard surface of the stone valley. Bringing him down gently he felt the young Sith grab at the hem of his robe and he assumed he was still trying to inflict some damage even moments from death, but when he brought his own hand up to remove it the young apprentice simply locked on to his hand, and he realized it was not a feeble attempt at revenge but the need for contact that consumes us all as we meld into the Force. Kai squeezed the hand of his mortal enemy as his head finally lolled to the side. For a moment he wondered if Zeon would have done the same for him, but just as quickly realized it didn't matter, this is what he did. This was why thousands of years after the invention of repeating blasters and slug throwers the Jedi still used a lightsaber. Killing another sentient being should never be easy. You should have to look that being in the eyes from just a foot away and witness moments like this. Technology was constantly finding newer and easier ways to kill people, and that only made it easier to do it. Closing the wide open eyes of Saber Zeon, he stood and felt the battle turn, momentum turning like waves in a fresher tub and Kai looked for the source of this new shift. He found it looking behind the Republic's line at a division of armored infantry moving into the valley from behind their position…apparently the Sith had used their discarded idea against them. By the time Kai fought his way to Satele she had already begun organizing a retreat, "Kai'Kwon! You and Kira take ATIR and any full squad you can gather to watch our back!" she yelled over the din of battle. He nodded his assent and commed for Taneer's team to form up as Kira began requisitioning men to make up an infantry squad, before he could turn around Satele grabbed him by the shoulder "Jedi Deo listen to me. A tactical retreat we can survive, a massacre we cannot, and I mean that in the largest sense. Whatever happens, you hold the line! We will clear out the division in our way but it will take just long enough to get surrounded if you are unable to hold them off our back, do you understand?!" she yelled over the din of battle.

"Yes Master, we will not fail!" he said clasping her hand, something he thought he would never do just a few months ago. Sundiver began working backwards down the ridgeline alternating shots; two to the back and one to the front. Kira kept her staff whirring in the constant motion of the defensive Soresu Form VI, blocking incoming bolts and allowing Taneer and his men to stand and fire instead of running for cover. The Sith Master, Kai had come to realize maybe the only Sith Master here, kept calling new units up to attack the back line, but never charged himself. He seemed completely content to toy with the retreating Jedi. Fierceness in their cause, or Sith complacency was the only thing that allowed them to get to the open plain, where the Imperials halted to reform as the Republic began their slow, humiliating, retreat back to Fort Warwick.

He wagered they only had an hour before the Imperials had gotten over their complacency and began their march onto the great Kalidas plain. With Republic forces awaiting their arrival they would have to assume that reinforcements are close behind, and most likely closer than theirs considering the shorter distance to Republic space from Yag'Dhul. The med tents were still overflowing when Master Shan brought the Jedi, Rangers, and Commanders together.

"our task is simple; hold, and diminish their air power. Given they brought an actual frigate we have to assume they have at least one squadron, that's a dozen fighters maybe more. Jedi Deo, I want you leading our A-wings"

"yes Master" Kai'kwon said trying to hide the nervousness at being split from Kira, who would undoubtedly be helping the ground defense with her blaster deflecting abilities.

"have the Givin activated their planetary shield?"

"yes Kira, they have done that at least, there will be no aerial bombardment".

Kai'Kwon gave Kira lingering glance which she broke quickly…she was right he knew, what happens will be the will of the Force, that should be enough for him, but was it? He had a moment to make a comm and he took it.

The jingle woke her up from a sound sleep, it was that ridiculous holo-vid theme she still had not changed…she would do it right after she ended this comm. She looked on her nightstand when she realized it was coming from her boyfr-err make that husband's nightstand. She sat up and looked at Corso Riggs…still sleeping like a log with a comm going off right next to his ear…_gotta love em_. She reached across him and grabbed the irritating cylinder, gathering her robe around her as she got out of bed on the other side "this is Azi Caruna-Briggs" she announced happily.

"Oh…oh right" came the voice on the other end.

"Kai'Kown? Is that you?" she asked louder than she meant, too late, "is it Kai'Kwon?" Corso asked from bed as she shushed him with her hand "

"it's me…I just wanted to comm and say congratulations for both me and Kira. And we both hope you're enjoying your honeymoon."

"By the stars Jedi make bad liars" she laughed into the comm. "Kai'Kwon, you did not comm for that but we both appreciate it, what's going on?"

"nothing really, I look forward to seeing you two as a married couple soon" he said still wholly unable to conceal his intention. "are you going to tell me where you are and what's going on or are you going to make me lengthen my interrupted honeymoon by backtracking the comm and getting information through brokers before we come to help" she said smiling as she looked at Corso who was wiping the sleep from his eye with one hand and raising the other in a thumbs up.

**Ch. 6**

After reluctantly giving Azi the rundown about what was happening on Yag'Dhul, he began walking across the makeshift camp to the six Starfighters parked together on a small plateau. He really did feel terrible about interrupting their honeymoon, but as it turns out a smuggler honeymoon was best had in the casinos of Wukkar just about three parsecs away. He met with the five best pilots the Republic had brought, Twelfth fleet's Red Squadron from Echo flight. He gathered the three humans, a Rodian, and an Arkanian together. They had their jumpsuits on but helmets were unnecessary in atmosphere. "This is our mission; to hold the sky for as long as we can. This isn't a tactical dogfight, this isn't knock a few down and break for home, this is dodge, juke, potshot, do whatever you must to stay in the air and keep their fighters on you and off our ground forces. If they give up on you and make a break for our lines that will just make it easier to get off our potshots, but if that happens you swing back immediately clear?"

"Yes sir" came the replies in unison, and he took a moment to admire their enthusiasm. Every man and woman in front of him knew full well this was not a mission they will come back from, and not one showed anything less than dogged determination. "They're interceptors are more heavily armored with more power, quad lasers to our duals, but they're far less maneuverable in atmo, especially in this gravity" he paused to emphasize that point, "use that to your advantage". Out of his peripheral he saw Kira walking up the stone embankment to the makeshift landing pad. "Alright Tekka and Lozerana you're flight two, Den-Bao and Clocana you're flight three, and Starrunner you're with me in flight 1. May the Force be with you, alright get your pre-flight checks going" he said and with that the pilots began climbing onto the curved wing of their fighters and into the cockpits as he turned to greet Kira as she walked over the crest, "front line I take it?" He asked as she approached. She nodded, "right beside Master Shan"

"I don't like being split up" he said looking at the ground, "I know"

"Kai, look at me" when he saw the mixture of concern and disapproval. "I need you to focus on your job, no matter what happens to me. Don't make me feel guilty for loving you if I find out it cost the lives of this army. Promise me."

"I promise." He knew any hesitation would only distract her but he didn't know if the words were true or not. They looked into each other's eyes for another few moments, taking in all the things they couldn't say.

"All flights parallel formation, wide spacing when we get out" Kai'Kwon called out over the comm as the A-Wing flight headed out over Phineas Gorge. A few minutes later they came out of the canyon and spread out over Kalidas plain and the marching invaders below… with no sign of the intercpetors. The Imperial Army was in a single line only about three rows wide, target rich environment to be sure. "All flights, take your shots while we have a chance, watch out for the walkers", two by two they dove down over the dusty plain as the Imperials began spreading out their lines, Kai'Kwon and Starrunner pulled up both weaving around surface to air fire, and he cursed the armaments on these fighters, if only they had fighter-bombers right now. His thought was interrupted as he heard Clocana yell over the comm "interceptors abov-" and he was gone off Kai'Kwon's flight board. "Red two break right and up now!" he yelled as he broke left in a high looping one-eighty. _Stang!_ The Imperial interceptors had been riding the cloud bank, above their scanner range. He saw the fluttering pieces of Red five falling slowly to Yag'Dhul against the backdrop of the sinking red dwarf. He quickly counted twelve interceptors, his worst case prediction to the pilots. "Red squadron, go into continual evasive maneuvers, take shots when you can but above all survive, Ok every fighter on his own… now!" and with that all five remaining fighters left and Red squadron broke apart. The Imperials were ready for such a maneuver and sent a pair of interceptors after each fleeing A-wing. Kai'Kwon was almost immediately weaving in between the red bolts of two bogeys on his six. "Red leader I'm hit" came the cry from Verdan Tekka "bail Red three! There's nothing more you can do back there!" he yelled and saw the hatch explode just before the fighter did and he gave silent thanks to the Force until he saw where he was going to come down at, somewhere right behind the Imperial back line. He knew if the other four fighters were going to play defense than he had to play offense. With that he threw his fighter into reverse followed by full throttle without taking his hand off the lever, all the while pulling with everything he had on the yoke, the maneuver would bring him right in front of the two fighters before disappearing over them. It was a move designed to put them right in his jet wash or at least rattle them enough to give him the split second he needed. The latter worked, barely thanks to the high G's, and he came down right behind and a little below the trailing fighter, he corrected quick and two short volleys later the first Imperial interceptor made its way to the Kalidas plain in pieces. The lead fighter had realized what happened and tried the basic form of Kai'Kwon's move pulling up into a high loop. Kai expected this and had a counter. Again he pulled the lever back into a reverse yanking him forward in his straps, he throttled the forward halfway and pulled the yoke back but only enough to fly straight up, meeting the imperial fighter on the downward angle of his loop. The pilot was good enough to recognize him in his scanners before his fighter gave him a clear view of the Jedi A-Wing flying right for him, and he was good enough to unleash his quad lasers which rattled his shields, but he wasn't good enough to come out of his loop when Kai'Kwon's green laser bolts began peppering his bow shields. The Interceptor exploded just before he would've had to pull out of the maneuver but instead he flew through the fire and back down towards what was left of flights two and three. The last wisps of black smoke whipped across his canopy, and he saw Wonnir Lorenzana leading his two fighters into the Gorge and hit the afterburners turning slightly left to help the solo pilot. Pulling the fighter up over the rocky mountains that bordered the gorge he heard Fila Ben-Dao say "I'm hit, port engine dead"

"alright Red six can you make it back?" Kai asked

"No" was the one word reply he received before he saw a flash of fireball off to his starboard horizon. As he dove the fighter down into the canyon he saw Lorenzana disappear around a bend with the two interceptors nearly flying into each other to get on his six. Coming around the same bend he finally got another glimpse of Lorenzana and a sole interceptor following, _did he get a kill?,_ but the Force told him the answer in the form of his instinctual juking of the starfighter as red bolts skimmed past his viewport from behind him. They had set a trap for him. He lurched up out of the narrow canyon, and saw a singular rock spire on the left side of the canyon wall. He veered slight left while dodging the tailing interceptors quad lasers. Approaching the spire he put his plan into motion, and accelerated the turbo boosters and pulled the yoke to port as hard as the Force would allow, and it was the Force that would allow him to survive the abnormal G-forces as he accelerated around the spire in a hard turn. The interceptor turned to port to follow but thought he would see Kai'kwon burning low across the desert sands, not coming around the same spire in the same hard turn. The tables had turned and it was now Kai chasing the Imperial low across the sands. The pilot was good, juking left, right, up and down all within a thirty meter hard deck. But this is where the Force made the fight unfair as Kai did not need to rely on targeting computers and soon his dual lasers found their mark, ripping across the stern shields, "ahhhhh-" for a brief moment he thought he was picking up the Imperials transmission until he realized that it was wishful thinking that Derek Lorenzana was still alive. An Imperial scream he couldn't hear must've followed Lorenzanas as the shields came apart followed by the starboard wing, as the interceptor went into a spiraling washout before making an explosive impact with a high sand dune. Kai banked the fighter again and headed back to Kalidas plain, and the battle. Flying through the end of the canyon gorge he could see the battle on the horizon, the red and blue blaster bolts making an incredible light show on the darkening horizon. Flying over the battle it wasn't hard to see who was winning, _the Imperials were pushing us back, and we would soon be fighting amongst the tents of Fort Warwick_. Just then Kai caught the tell-tale trails of dueling lightsabers and strained to see closer, it was Kira…fighting Lord Zuhl…_where was Master Shan! _He thought and then it was as if the Force answered him as he saw her blue staff twenty yards away impaled through the cockpit of an AT-Walker. He refocused on Kira and tried to will her to victory, but before he could try he felt a stab in his gut, he strained to see in the dim light as she doubled over from what looked like a kick and her green staff fell to the ground, it's blade extinguishing. He put his hand on the windscreen, _nnoooo!, _he looked ahead and saw Starruner followed by two Interceptors and soon to be three, it wasn't even a conscience decision, he was pulling to starboard to blast this Sith off Kira, _No this is a test…she would never forgive me if I neglected my duty, _choking back tears he pulled back to port, and towards Basra Starrunner. "Red leader I'm dead I'm go-"

_It was all for naught, I've lost them both _Kai retracted the scanner and saw the running lights and dark outline of the three interceptors turn towards him. He still felt Kira in weakly in the Force but he knew this was their end. They would go together. Kai'kwon settled into the Force and accelerated towards the oncoming Imperials, he must've looked suicidal with his lightly armored fighter speeding headlong towards three heavily armored fighters, they must've known they were dueling with a Jedi by now, if they didn't they soon would. The bolts came thick and fast but the Force was his ally and not a single one touched his forward shield before he opened up his duel lasers, their green bolts tracking perfectly to the front of the lead fighter. Juking and shooting at the same time, he saw the nose of the lead fighter break off as the Interceptor began spiraling head first to the rocky ground below. One down, but two more was probably asking too much. Kai closed his eyes and sunk completely into the force, letting the Force squeeze the trigger and move the yoke and then it was over, he exploded…something exploded, he opened his eyes and saw both interceptors falling in burning embers against the black curtain of night "wow! This is like holo-vid timing by the way" came the familiar voice, he flipped the outgoing switch to open frequency "Azi!?" he yelled, "I'm here too" came the voice of Corso Riggs, "look up" Kai did and he saw his salvation, the bow lights and signature of the _True North _flying down out of the low hazy clouds.

**Ch. 7**

The air battle won at great cost wasn't enough to stop the Imperial ground advance, as Republic forces were forced to beat it back to the outskirts of Dodecapolis. Kai'kwon landed his A-wing on the much smaller plain they had moved their crates of ammo, food, and medicine to before marching out of Warwick to meet the approaching dark army. Kai'kwon was in such a rush to check on Kira whose presence had never extinguished in the Force that he tried to exit the cockpit still harnessed in. Getting out properly and hitting the hard ground he dashed for the rows of stretchers on the ground. The sounds and smells of misery were overwhelming. Beings of a dozen different species crying out for spouses or mothers as medics triaged the wounded. He followed Kira's Force presence until he came to the row of stretchers it was emanating from. He saw Kira immediately with a bloodied Taneer on a knee next to her, Azi and Corso standing behind him "Kira!" he yelled as he pushed his way through the press of bodies attending or checking on other wounded, "Kira!" he yelled again closer, but it was Azi who turned around first. She looked in stark contrast to the troopers all around her, in that she looked good, clean, and full of energy. She was wearing tight fitting gray pants with a black jacket, gray desert scarf, and a black headband that stood out against her light green skin, but that matched her lekku tattoos. "Kai'kwon she is fine" she said meeting him halfway and opening her arms for an embrace, which he slowed enough to oblige. Before he broke the hug with Azi, Corso was stepping in with one of his own. "I can't believe you guys made it here so quick…you saved me" he said looking them both in the eyes earnestly. "Us actually" Corso said slyly, before realizing he wasn't in the mood for guessing games. "Your wingmate, Starrunner? We saw her parachuting down and picked her up".

"Basra made it?!"

"With just a twisted ankle, and then we swu-"

"-ok Riggs we'll have plenty of time for our heroics later" she said stepping in between them and grabbing Kai'kwon by the hand and leading him the rest of the way to Kira's cot. Taneer stood to greet him "Kai'kwon" the Dornean said.

"How is she?"

"She's fine, she's fine" he said trying to calm down his frantic comrade, "she's lost her left arm just below the shoulder, but the med droids are fitting a cybernetic replacement for her, they said it should be ready for reattachment within a few hours". Kai gently pushed around the warrior and knelt to meet Kira's only remaining hand which was outstretched for him. He took it and held it with both hands, looking at the bandages beneath a shoulder glistening with medi-gel. The pain seemed to effect Kai as he seemed to double over a bit. "I thought I lost you" he said still holding on to her, unwilling to let go. "You'll never lose me Kai'kwon, even if I am no longer in this world" she said earnestly, his inability to accept her demise scaring her more than the Sith's blade raised over her head a short time ago. "I know…I know that, I-just" he left it unsaid and just gave her a reassuring smile while he reached out and brushed her cheek with his hand. Before anymore could be said a medic appeared with a hovering med droid, "excuse us Master Jedi but we have work to do" said the Zeltron doctor. "Go Kai'kwon, I will be with you soon" she said as he released her hand and stood, allowing the hovering droid to move past him. He watched as Kira disappeared beneath their busy work and returned to Taneer, "I saw her go down while I was up there, did you save her?" Taneer shook his head "that would be your friend with the vibro staff"

"Adamese?" he said asking about the remaining Antarian Ranger, as he looked around to see if he could find him. "You won't find him Kai, he saved her but couldn't save himself from that Sith". The revelation was like someone squeezing his heart as he felt the magnitude of what had happened. "They fight like us but without the Force, and no one but us will ever remember their names".

"And I would bet my own life that he would say it was all worth it" Taneer answered.

They did have a little time to catch up. They brought some empty crates over to where Kira was laid up for the night and shared some of the fresh caf and rations Azi and Corso had brought to the troops. "I wish I had been there" Kai'kwon said taking a sip of the steaming drink.

"You didn't miss much. The monk asked if I take her, then asked if she took me. I said yes before he was done asking, she had to think about it a bit longer" he said in faux despair, as she playfully slapped his shoulder. "Maybe so, but I still would like to have been there" he said seriously.

"Me too" came a soft voice from behind them. Kai turned around to see Kira's eyes open and looking at the three of them. He took a knee beside her and held her remaining hand, "hey we were trying to be quiet, thought you could use the sleep" she shook her head, "no I've been sleeping all day" she sat up in her cot and went about flexing and moving her new cybernetic arm. "I'll get it covered when we get back" she said looking at Kai, "if that is what you want?" he said slightly confused.

"I'm just saying, it won't look like this forever" she said meekly. Kai grabbed the back of her neck to make sure he could look her in the eyes, "you're a fool if you thought I would ever care about that", she smiled quickly before turning to Azi and Corso, "can I have a cup of that?" she asked Azi pointing to the large thermos next to her on the crate. Azi was pouring a cup before she finished the question and walked over to hand it to her. She accepted it gratefully, wrapping her flesh and cybernetic hand around the steaming mug, she took a small slurping sip and made a sound of satisfaction. "Azi sit with me…you can tell me everything about your wedding these men would never understand" she said smiling playfully at Corso.

The nightmare of the Sith standing over Kira with blood red blade raised over his head woke Kai'kwon up before he had really fallen into a deep sleep, and got used to his new surroundings. The new, less well defended camp had been set up in just two hours. With nearly half of the Republic's assembled force either dead or wounded, times were desperate indeed. He stepped out of the tent he was sharing with two dozen other soldiers, into frigid night air of Yag'Dhul. The system's red dwarf was large in the night sky, in a red dwarf system the habitable zone was far closer to the center. Normally nights were dark on a planet in this kind of system, but Yag'Dhul had its three large moons in close orbit. He pulled his robe tight over his bare chest and glanced over at the tent Kira was staying in for the night, he half thought of going in there and falling asleep with her in his arms, but before he could seriously consider it he glanced over and saw Grand Master Shan standing at the edge of a shallow cliff that looked out on what seemed like never ending sand dunes interspersed with jagged rock formations. Kai'kwon walked up to her but she didn't make a move, just continued to stare out to the abyss with her arms folded across her chest. "Couldn't sleep either could you?" her voice surprised him even though he knew she had sensed his approach, she hadn't moved when she spoke. "No…I.." he searched for the words, "your attachment to Kira?" He looked up startled, "don't look so surprised Kai'kwon," now she did turn around to lock eyes with him, "your affair is the worst kept secret in the Order". He could only look down somewhat sheepishly. "We were all just hoping you would manage your attachment to each other" she said closing the distance between them and placing a hand on his back. "I am glad you know Master, we always felt bad about the secret nature of it…but no that's not it…I guess we thought if our relationship we're known we would be thrown out of the Order, or at least separated permanently" she retracted her hand as if hurt, "such nonsense. I hope none of the Masters ever said this would be the case".

"No….I guess I just assumed" he said slightly confused.

"The Order has guidelines for how to live and serve the Force. Things previous Jedi have learned through trial and error. No matter what, never forget that we are sentient beings, not droids. We try to stay away from romantic relationships because we know they can lead to attachment, which can lead to jealousy and greed, which ultimately leads to the Dark". He gave a perfunctory nod of understanding.

"You're not alone. I too have tried and erred".

"General Malcolm?" the words were out before he could stop them, but the Grand Master only smiled slightly, "you see? We're certainly not above gossip. Yes it was at the start of the war…. I was a newly made Knight and try as I might I gave in to my love for him, and even had a child. That was the point of no return for my attachment so I made a clean break with them both. I check on both of them from time to time but I knew in my heart I could not continue on without endangering my soul. I just hope you and Kira will be able to make the same decision should it ever come to that".

"Thank you Master…she would have a much easier time with that than me, I think.

"Then what troubles you? You know, what you did today up there…it will never be forgotten" she said with a look of conviction.

"Having you say that should be the pinnacle of my life in the Order…but I've started to wonder…what will I do in peace time? My talents in the Force all seem to be oriented to war" she retracted her hand and held them behind as she gave a nod of understanding.

"You think yourself the first Jedi to struggle with his meaning? How do you think our philosophers who were never adept at martial skill, feel at a time like this?" she said raising her arms to the chaos in the galaxy. Kai'kwon could only shrug realizing he had not thought of it. "The Force manifests itself differently in all of us Kai'kwon. In you it has made a warrior, a guardian, look around at this camp" she paused to sweep her arm at the makeshift campfires and the men and women huddled around them, "-see them in your mind, eating, talking, a few even laughing despite our circumstances. Now see in your mind how many are not there right now if you were not with us today. Now open them and look at me. Kai'kwon Deo, you are a Guardian of the light, serving the will of the Force may effect more lives in the next cycle than other Jedi will effect in a lifetime of peaceful contemplation. After we have secured peace you will continue to serve the Force however you can, remembering you may have had your greatest impact in those short frenetic years of conflict" she finished grabbing him by the shoulders "focus on the present Jedi. We will figure out how best to serve the Force in peace shall we live to see it". "Thank you Master, you're right of course"

"very good. Now come with me to Dodecapolis" she said clasping her hands behind her back. "Of course Master, but what for?"

"A last ditch effort to show the Givin the error in their math. Without air power we need them, and we need the city. We need them to help us hold out until tomorrow evening".

Before leaving for the Capital Kai'kwon returned to the medical tent Kira was in. Without Bacta tanks she would have to heal with med-packs, which meant she was doped up. She was still laying on the gurney, her new cybernetic left arm attached just over the elbow. Darth Zuhl's blade had cut through at an angle, and the lone organic doctor was forced to even the amputation before attaching her new limb. Kai'kwon approached cautiously, not wanting to wake her from the pain-free rest. He looked down at the arm, and saw the painful looking swelling where titanium met skin. Bacta patches had left an oily residue around the amputation and Kai-Kwon's stomach flipped at the thought of the pain. Before he realized it a tear was streaming down his cheek and instinctively bit down on his quivering lower lip. In that moment he knew the depth of his fear at losing her.

**Ch. 8**

They didn't speak on the speeder ride into the great stone city. Niki, the only surviving Ranger was in grieving for her lost friend, Adamese, as she piloted the landspeeder through the planet's red arid canyons. Upon reaching the great pyramid they were told the Council would not see them until sunrise. With the Imperials undoubtedly regrouped they would be approaching at sunrise as well. "Master you must return" Kai'kwon said inside the palace foyer. "I will stay here and plead our case, but if we're to have any shot of holding out until the fleet arrives you must be there to lead our forces"

"Jedi Deo is right Grand Master" said Niki, "I must take you back to the camp". Satele put her hand to her chin as if to ponder their argument, "very well I agree…but I'm not certain we can hold without you there as well Kai'kwon"

"I don't believe that Master, and I don't believe we have any other choice" he answered with a hint of desperation and anxiety. The three walked past the Givin sentries and through the palace doors to their awaiting landspeeder still at the foot of the entrance steps. But when they reached the steps they saw another speeder, a Given one parked behind theirs with Nisil Karth moving up the steps towards them. "Master Jedis', I'm glad to find you all still here" the Given said stopping and placing a hand on her bony knee, their ever opened mouth made it look as if she was trying to catch her breath, "well two of us were just leaving. I'm leaving Jedi Deo here to await your Council in the morning" said Master Shan.

"There's no need. I have been sent by the Council. They have amended their earlier command and agreed to meet you in an emergency session. I am to bring you there now". The two Jedi and Nika looked at each other briefly all no doubt wondering the cause behind this change of heart.

They arrived at the Council chambers and saw all nine Given in their pre-arranged high-backed chairs behind the raised bench. Kai'kwon could not help but notice that Prime Councilor Nalas did not look pleased to be here. "Good Councilors we come to you with the greatest urgency. Our attempts to hold have been for naught. I regret to inform you that the vanguard of the Imperial army will be here within a day, and our reinforcements will not be here until tomorrow evening should they be permitted to land of course"

"they will not be!" said the prime councilor, "the Givin Domain is neutral in your war, and we will not have our planet turned into a total warzone!" he said to a chorus of nods from the bench, but Kai'kwon noticed a few heads that did not share their enthusiasm, and he made note of them. "I'm sorry Prime Councilor, but I'm afraid that decision was already made for you…by the Sith" she said with sympathy he could not tell was genuine or sardonic.

"I beg to differ. The Sith have decided to use our planet as a staging ground without asking our permission. We are not happy about it but we can deal with this temporary inconvenience, what we cannot deal with is a full scale war that costs the lives of my people".

"Again Prime Councilor, I regret to inform you that some of your people were in danger the minute those Imperial ships made the ninety degree turn for your planet", she was determined not to back down.

"We have calculated a sixty-eight percent probability that the Imperial Army will leave us alone if we don't antagonize them".

"That is exactly what the Klatooinians thought, as well as the Devaronians, and the Shistavane-"

"-those beings all resisted the Imperial presence!" he yelled, cutting her off.

"NOT at first!" Satele took a step forward as her commanding voice boomed throughout the stone interior, "at first! all of those planets decided not to resist, but within weeks their government was deposed and many of their people were killed or sold into slavery, and I assure you Prime Councilor your people fit the Sith description of slave, and there are some fates worse than death". The Givin shook his head, clearly exasperated "we have studied every eventuality and even if what you say is true we have calculated the odds of holding off the Imperial army at only forty-seven percent, so again we tell you our decision has been made and I suggest you begin planning for the continuance of your war off of our planet", he finished, lowering himself back down into his seat.

"forty-seven percent?" Kai'Kwon stepped forward, Satele glanced at him but said nothing and made no move to stop him, so he stepped forward even more. "Math is a wonderful system to base your faith on and we can all see the prosperous society it has guided you to creating, but with a probability so slim there must be some credence given to the moral imperative of the lesser probability. Are you telling me the freedom and liberty of your people do not merit an override of a three percent margin? Is there no weight for love? I can tell you the woman I lo-my…partner, is in a med tent right now missing an arm because she fought in the face of overwhelming probabilities for those she loves…she's alive right now because a man fought against one-hundred percent odds to save a society he loved, I say loved because he died saving her life, but his insurmountable odds increased the odds of my Kira by a hundred percent, and you now deciding to fight in the face of that fifty-three percent can increase the odds of those you love living free". Silence resounded across the chamber as the last word finished its slight echo off the cavernous walls, and Kai'kwon stepped back absent-mindingly wiping at the saliva that had been churned up by his impassioned plea to reject pure reason. His heart was still thudding in his neck when Councilor Narth spoke again "we have already voted, I'm sorry", his words were resolved but lacked the sting he had paired with his earlier pronouncements. Kai'kwon went to speak again but Satele put a blocking hand on his chest, "come Jedi Deo, we still have a hill to hold". And with that the three turned around and began walking to the exit. "I move for a re-vote" all three turned around sharply at the new voice. They didn't see who said it but since all eight were looking at the Councilor immediately to the left of Narth it was plain to see, it was also plain to see that Narth looked angry and maybe betrayed, the professional in him put those feeling aside as he said, "is there a second for Vice Councilor Deel's motion of re-vote?"

"ay!" came an excited Givin three seats down, it was one of the same Givin who had remained impassive during Narth's earlier statement. "Minister Aroush seconds the motion, I now move for a re-vote all in favor of affirming the statistical probability on the matter discussed say ay".

"Ay!" came an enthusiastic Givin seated immediately to Narth's right

"Ay"

"Ay" came two more in quick succession and Kai'kwon felt his earlier hope slipping away, but then a pause…

"Ay" came a less enthusiastic voice from all the way down on the right. Kai'kwon clinched his fists and then…nothing, "the motion fails, the Council rules in favor of the lesser probability. The chair recommends a one hour adjournment before meeting in the Domain Ministry of Defence, it appears we have work to do" and with that Lersia Narth stood and bowed to the Jedi and Niki who all bowed deeply in return. He had acted honorably despite his personal feelings. Once he had walked off the dais the Vice Councilor rose and bowed and gave what Kai'kwon could only guess was the Givin equivalent of a wink before walking off the dais himself, and then the remaining seven all got up at once, bowed and filed out of the room, leaving the three plaintiffs in stunned silence.

The hour had flown by in an instant, and still surrounded by the eerie half-light of a Yag'Dhul night, Kai'kwon found himself coming to a stop in the back of an open air Council landspeeder. He got out and kept the door open for Satele and Nika as the equivalent of a Givin page hurried down the steps of the great stone octagon that was the Domain Ministry of Defense, and said "please Master Jedi, follow me" turning back around after a moment he added "the entire Council awaits your input in the war room". He turned back around and kept hustling up the steps, his shimmersilk robe pulled up so as not to encumber his progress. The interior of the Ministry of Defense was much the same as the Council pyramid, with cube cut stone walls and a smooth stone floor. However in addition to the torch lights that lit the hallway from their ensconces on the wall, there was also a horizontal opening about a foot wide down the center of the outside wall with some sort of ivy that grew out of the crevice. He found the entire ambience a welcome change from the utilitarian whitewashed durasteel interior of the government buildings on Coruscant. They followed their page into a room that seemed to be at the center of the entire complex. The room was massive with a domed oculus at the apex that allowed moonlight to supplement the artificial light in the room. While the décor was old fashioned the technology was state of the art, sunken floors around the periphery were filled with Givins hard at work over their personal computers, while the nine councilors awaited the Jedi at the holographic table on the raised cylindrical floor in the center of the room. He also noticed transparent panes of stylus glass for drawing up ideas and formations behind the central table. He was offered a steaming mug of something whose smell he could not place until Councilor Arax, their main ally in session, said "Lucya tea…I fear it is an acquired taste but it will stimulate your mind". He accepted it graciously, he didn't need it, but it made no sense to reject the hospitality when so much was now riding on their hosts.

**Ch. 9**

By sunrise their final stand was finalized and they commed Taneer and the other commanders, including the newly arrived Azi and Corso, to fill them in. Now all that was left was to get the remaining Republic soldiers back inside the city before the Imperials arrived. It was mid-morning before the first armored personnel carriers began streaming into the city. Looking through his macro-binoculars, Kai'kwon saw armed Givin citizens watching the spectacle from various rooftops, he could only hope they were somewhat ready for what was to come. He had doomed a number of these beings to death, he knew that beyond a shadow of a doubt, and yet he truly couldn't see another way. _Was he too eager for battle_? The question ate away at his very being. He knew in his heart that he sought peace, but just not peace at any cost. Not peace that left trillions of beings without liberty because they lived on the other side of a randomly drawn border. The last year had shown him the true horrors of war. Young men and women of all different species whose first trip out into the galaxy was a rendezvous with death on a Force forsaken world. Children and beings caught in the crossfire of political violence they couldn't, or didn't want to comprehend. But he had also watched conflict bring out the best and most noble virtues in his fellow beings. He knew it didn't take war to bring out that nature, but it still filled him with awe every time he saw a young private throw himself on a thermal detonator to save comrades he had only known a few weeks, or watched an Aqualish soldier charge an E-Webb cannon emplacement to save a group of human civilians caught in the crossfire. He just had to resign himself to not having all the answers. There was one thing he knew that didn't gnaw at him in the dead of night; it was that their appeasing the Sith to prevent what was happening now was complicity with the dark, and enabling the dark side was not something he would abide. He turned his gaze to the eastern horizon, still clear for now. He imagined they were just moving up to last night's campsite and were now figuring out we had the city's support. "Stop fretting", the voice startled him even though he had felt her arrive on the balcony. "I can't Master, I'm responsible for what happens here today".

"As am I, but never forget that it is the Sith who are to blame for what happens here today".

"Was there another way?" he asked lowering his vision enhancers.

"None that could prove successful. We are now surrounded by desert, where would we go?"

"I know you're right and at the same time I cannot stop wondering if we have done enough to avoid this war altogether" he admitted somberly.

"The fact that it weighs so heavily on you tells me the a lot about the Jedi you have become" she place a reassuring hand on his shoulder. "War will always create doubt and unease in those who don't want to wage it, but take comfort in the notion that for twenty years we maintained a fragile peace and still millions of beings died in labor camps for writing an article critical of the Imperial Council, billions of aliens died working in cortosis quarries as slaves. Stopping all the evil in the universe is not the will of the Force, but trying to is…that's all what we can do".

"Thank you Master" he said passing her the macro-binoculars, "I would like to be down there to greet Kira".

"Of course". He moved back inside the Ministry of Defense and made his way to the Square of Deduction where the transports were coming to a stop. He cringed as he saw some of the ancient paving stones crack under the weight of the large tires. Unfortunately, it would get much worse than some cracked stones for this unique and ancient city. He walked to the back of the medical transport as the tail ramp was lowered and walked up to be greeted halfway by a med-droid "Kira?" he asked

"Jedi Carson is-"

"-here" the voice came from behind him and he turned around to see Kira standing at the bottom of the ramp with a smiling Taneer and Cpl. Sundiver. He hustled down and grabbed her to him "I didn't expect you to be up" he said breaking the hug but still holding her, he felt the titanium underneath her robe where the flesh of her arm was just a few days ago. "I am needed and the Force is my ally, where else could I be?" she asked with a look of determination and maybe a touch of indignation, "but, how can you fight with an arm you have never used before?" he regretted the question as he was asking it.

"I can vouch for her ability there" said Taneer pointing to the small gash near his temple. Kai'kwon looked at him and then back to Kira, he wanted desperately for her to sit out this one but he knew to press further would only anger here and steel her resolve, not to mention disrespect her honor as a Jedi. "Good. We'll need you, I know I'll feel better with you by my side" he said rubbing her shoulder lightly. Her eyes acknowledged the sacrifice he had made, and thanked him for it. "So you want to tell us this plan?" Corso asked from behind him, breaking the moment. "Yes. Gather the commanders and meet us in the war room of the large octagon over there, the Givin will show you the way", he said pointing to the defense ministry close by.

Nero Bogani was lying flat on his stomach, his elbows digging into the sharp rocks that formed the small cliff halfway up the small mountain, or big inclination depending on your preferred terminology. His macro-nocs perched to his eyes as he scanned the horizon. He flicked the magnifying notch, and saw the churning dust clouds before he saw any figure, he didn't wait for confirmation and twisted around to activate his wrist link, "Master Shan, Ma'am?!"

"Yes corporal" came the cool and even reply.

"Imperials spotted, route A. I repeat Imperials, Route A." his voice wavering a touch with nervous excitement.

"Well done Corporal. Get back here immediately".

"Yes Ma'am-Master" he answered awkwardly as he pushed himself off the rock face and grabbed his rifle, his duty done and recognized by someone he never thought he would speak to let alone receive an acknowledgement from. His grin only came off before he entered the city twenty minutes later.

Kai'kwon and Kira were standing together with Azi, Corso, Majors Tadano and Rik'eela, as well as Taneer and his newly reformatted team near the war table when the comm came in. Satele marched in from the Defense Councilor's office in her robe and leather vestments, still shunning body armor after nearly half a life of perpetual war. "Jedi Deo, they are marching down route A, ETA one hour", she said walking quickly across one of the small catwalks that led to the central dais. _So plan A was a go_…a small smile lifted the corner of his mouth before he recovered "you guys are on" he said to the group, "remember it must look convincing, and be sure to make it clear to the team that they are to watch for the cue and trust their commanders, not their feelings" he said clasping the Dornean's forearm, "I will sir"

"May the Force be with you".

"And with you" he answered, turning to Azi and Corso he repeated the spiritual mantra. To Kai'kwon right now it was more than perfunctory encouragement, the Force was with them, and with the Force as an ally they would not lose.

**Ch. 10**

Kai'Kwon walked down the slight embankment into the Square of Deduction alongside Kira and behind Satele. The six hundred and sixty eight Republic troopers were joined by two thousand of the Givin Domain's planetary guard who had their own orders. Kai'kwon was given the go ahead to speak to the troops, maybe due to his impassioned plea to the Council, but either way he planned to make full use of it. His dark grey armor was dulled with the scars of battle and his robe fared no better, the fringes tattered by scorch marks or outright holes. His hair had grown long over the past year, and its dirty blonde color matched the scruff that had appeared on his face over the past couple days. The men and women of assorted beings looked tired but determined as he passed them on his way to the center of the square. Seeing Nika and Taneer he beckoned them to fall into line behind him before stopping on a slight rise in front of the stone square with its giant obelisk rising like a phoenix behind the assembled lines, his hands on his hips he let his voice boom across the large city park, "Republic defenders! We've asked you to give your best and you've given your lives, we've asked you to survive the onslaught and you've charged headlong into it, we've asked you to hold ground and you've taken ground, knowing all of this it pains me to ask anything more of you, but knowing all of this if I realize if I merely suggest you win the day, you'll drive them back into the abyss from which they came!" this elicited a roar from the assembled crowd including the Givin who more hooted than howled. "You all know your duty and I know you'll go above and beyond that duty. The Givin have joined with us in this fight for liberty. I do not speak to you today to give you confidence, it would be insult to try such a cheap trick on men and women who seen so much this past year" a nervous laugh coursed through the soldiers, "but I know we will win. It was no premonition, but with the Force guiding us and you by my side how can we lose?!" again an even louder and longer roar echoed off the stones, "on your commanders soldiers, follow them with honor!" and with that the commotion began.

Taneer risked one more look over the low barricade they had hastily rolled out. He ducked back down and turned to one of his two surviving squad members Tona Fal-Drossa, the Cerean's elongated head tucked under his custom helmet, "okay plan B. hold fire until those tanks are within twenty meters and pop thermals you got me?" he said his fangs glaring in the morning light.

"Yes sir, but I doubt they'll get that close without seeing our camouflaged cover" said Fal-Drossa, his voice modified by his custom helmet. "Got no choice, it was just our luck we get the tank battalion, but it's better for everyone else…if they open fire from there we won't have a chance to run our pla-Corporal get your head down!" he interrupted himself to yell at a soldier just down the line. "But sir, I think you need to take another look" the soldier answered somewhat sheepishly. Taneer shot a warning look at the private, but did what he recommended anyway, before dropping back down much quicker than before, "fierfek!" he cursed. "What is it sir?" asked Fal-Drossa

"That damn Saber is still alive and leading the tank battalion" he looked around the mass of bodies around him, "they'll never get that close now with that human sensor", he raised his comm to his thin lips "demo, I need the snipers to the front now". Fal-Drossa turned to look at four soldiers in white and blue thin armor trotting through and over proned bodies on their way up the natural inclination, before coming to a knee a few feet from the Captain, "Sniper-1 reporting sir" the Lieutenant snapped off a crisp salute over his helmet. "You're under the command of Corporal Sundiver" the Corporal and Lieutenant exchanged forearm shakes from a knee, "LT you like to fish?" He shook his head out of confusion rather than an answer. "You want to try being the bait?" this time he voiced his bewilderment. "I don't follow ma'am".

"I need you to get the attention of that tank", he raised his head just over the line and looked back down at the huddled Captain and Corporal. "How much attention ma'am?" he asked. "All of it" his new commander answered ominously before looking at her Captain. "Can you do it?" he asked all business now. "It would be a hell of a shot sir" she said honestly.

"You got one of those in you Corporal?"

"Always sir it's just a question of whether it show itself", Taneer smiled a toothy smile "well let's find out Amina, let 'em fly". She motioned to the Lieutenant and sprang into motion sliding back down to his team for a quick word. A moment later they broke and he and Corporal Sundiver began hustling in separate directions, Malmo back up to the barrier and Sundiver to a natural high platform behind their position. Taneer brushed away a speck of dirt from his eye, kicked up by the ever swirling winds of Yag'Dhul, before sliding on his helmet. The air conditioner kicked in and blew a blast of cool air up his neck as he blinked through the various HUD settings and readied his blaster. He looked over the barricade and saw the tanks and large battalion moving over a sand dune about a hundred and fifty yards out, then looked at Amina up and to his right. "Alright. Out of time boys and girls", Sundiver flipped the little tripod down on her rifle barrel while the young Lieutenant shouldered his rifle down the line from Taneer…"3…2…1…fire" both snipers fired shots that sent two infantrymen near the tanks flying backwards, immediately the well trained soldiers began to break into fighting formation and return fire, the massive hover tank turned its massive sixty millimeter plasma cannon toward the direction of the shot. Taneer swung around to take a knee just below the barricade as he looked up to see Stardiver flip her targeting visor back, _damn old fashioned shooter, _the cannon arms kept moving and Taneer felt like he was looking straight down the barrel as it moved past him_. _Malmo cracked another shot, this one just kicked off the front of the tank, harmlessly repelled by the massively thick armor. The arm began moving again, much quicker this time before it settled right on Malmo who ducked down just as it settled on him. _C'mon,c'mon _he thought looking at Sundiver on her perch, _fire!...now! _he saw the rifle buck before he heard the shot, and he turned his head just to see the tank on the left explode at the base of the cannon, the loaded plasma shell rupturing from the perfectly placed shot. The tank didn't explode into a thousand pieces but it was out of commission, the other tank was clear though and Taneer saw it kick, "down!" he yelled and took his own advice as the shell passed just over the barrier and exploded into the ranks behind him, "free fire free fire!" he yelled. Sundiver rolled off her flat rock just in time as Malmo slid back down the embankment and ran back to take up his position with his team. All were clear and headed to the high ground in the back except for one, a verpine, who seemed to skip to the front and began lining up another shot. "Private ba-!" he shot, in hindsight he was glad he the private's initiative was quicker than his words. The tank exploded at its base as the Verpine sniper turned to give the Captain a look of what passed for excited shock, just before a thermal rocket sent he and another half dozen soldiers flying back into the abyss..._two miracle shots…maybe the Force is on our side_ he thought before he raised his rifle and began sending rounds down range.

Kai'kwon watched the diversionary battalion led by Taneer through his macro-binoculars on the roof of one the stone five story housing complexes near the main road into the city, "by the Force…they got them both" just minutes before he had worried that the tanks would go a long way towards ruining his plan…he should've known better. "Alright soldiers, ready yourselves" he yelled to the sharpshooters on the roof behind him. The first line of Imperial soldiers approached the first line of buildings and began to trot, letting out a low roar that grew louder the faster they ran. "Now! Fire!" he yelled, and the city lit up even more in the dim morning light with flashes of blue, green, red, and purple from the Givin staff rifles. Kai'kwon jumped down the five stories to the street below. He came down by a line of Republic and Givin soldiers firing from behind a landspeeder turned on its side, as the troops pouring into the city, "for the Republic!" was Kai'kwon's last battle cry as he vaulted makeshift cover and ran towards the approaching troops, his blue blade twisting and whirling red bolts in every direction.

"Now Captain?!" asked Azi, simultaneously popping in and out of cover to fire her dual blasters. "What's our troop strength Fal-Drossa?" Taneer asked, blind firing over cover. Various colors of blood made a macabre helmet decoration.

"forty percent, but they'll be on us in two minutes" said the trooper.

"Then we wait one", Taneer fired off another series of shots and then fished out a new power pack from his armor, as he reloaded Fal Drossa stumbled back from cover, "lieutenant!" but Taneer saw the telltale sign of a blaster hole in the center of his chest, he popped up and took out the two troopers just thirty yards away who he told himself had fired the killing shot, he ran over and lifted off the young Cerean's helmet and his eyes told him all he needed to know without checking his pulse, he closed them with two fingers and brought up his comm, "this a full retreat order, full retreat, back to the Temple". Within seconds the remaining battalion of Republic troopers abandoned their cover and ran down the rocky outcroppings toward the giant tesseract in the valley a mile below.

Kira moved her blade in a green blur around the front and back of her body, enemy bolts caroming in various directions. The fighting was close now, and many soldiers were fighting with a blaster in one hand and vibro-blade in the other. The old saying went, in a blaster fight cover always lasted a shot less then you expected it to. Sure enough, the super-heated plasma was capable of burning through most surfaces, so without shielding battles quickly turned into close combat affairs…given the setting, this one turned ugly much quicker than most. Kira had been in charge of the left flank of the city defense, with a quarter of the Imperial army chasing about a fifth of the Republic forces to the Given high temple west of the city, she was responsible for securing the western most flank of the city proper and pushing the imperials right pincer back to the center. As it stood, they were doing a pretty good job, but they had a lot of pushing left to do. She deflected another flurry of bolts off to the left, two of which returned to their sender before locking blades with an Imperial commando,

"how's it feel Jedi?" the human man said, his helmet long since thrown or blown off as blood streaked down the right side of his face from some other superficial wound. Kira would never rise to the bait but that wouldn't stop him from answering his own question, "to know you're going to die by MY hand!" she had to admit he had skill with a blade but it wasn't enough as she blocked an angry overhead stike with one side of her staff while almost simulataneously drawing the other side of the staff horizontally across his abdomen. She kicked the man away and waved her hand for her troops to press forward.

Kai'Kwon wanted to end this. He felt responsible for every home and sacred site that was demolished by blaster fire, rockets, or thermal detonators. He had carved a path to the front of the street the Imperial flank they were pushing back had come down, and now getting his first glimpse of the city's great entrance arch he could see they were starting to bottle the Imperials up. He could also see the Sith Master Zule directing his troops from and fighting through the main street that led to the city center, against Satele's battle group. He instructed his troops to find cover and hold. They were rats in a maze, and they had to keep throwing up the right boards at the right time to keep them going where they wanted them to go.

Taneer ducked his head out of habit against the falling dust and rocks blown apart just above him by a well place sniper shot, _how much longer?, _he thought to himself for the hundredth time. They were down to about twenty percent of their original fighting force, if this worked they would all deserve the Republic Medal of Valor. "Major Vatele, move your men up that ridgeline on the right, I need you to at least partially flank these guys, we'll give you cover"

"uh-yessir, on your order" the Major answered in between explosion from a nearby thermal rocket.

"Move now!" he yelled as he and his unit rose up and fired at the line moving ever closer. One down, two, three but they kept moving forward. He risked a look to the ridge to see one Republic soldier sliding down it dead, another fell to his stomach, another into the rocks behind him…that's it, they were finished. He fell back behind cover on to his rear and surveyed the men to his left and right…_we gotta retreat…_he brought his wrist comm to his mouth…but it squawked before he could say anything "Captain Taneer" said the Givin voice, his heart rose into his throat, "Taneer here, go ahead" he said holding his breath. "Ready your men, you have thiry seconds from now" the alien voice said too calmly, in sharp contrast to the mayhem around him. Taneer silently thanked the Force, "heard, over". He switched it over to his men's frequency, "everyone, rebreathers on now!" He looked down and saw one after another switch to firing with one hand as they pulled their rebreather mask from the back of their waist and covered their face. With renewed purpose he threw his last thermal detonator over the low cover of rocks and emptied his power pack into the line of red and black armored soldiers moving towards them more confidently now. A strange and loud whistle began to emanate from the top of the Tesseract behind him. Taneer could feel the air being sucked out of the space around him as he signaled everyone to run like akks the last fifty yard to the safety of the Tesseract. Inside the strange obsidian black and electric blue temple, the vortex got louder and more powerful until Taneer was engulfed in the most ferocious silence. In all, they were able to stand against the force of the extreme tide for three harrowing minutes. Activating the grav locks on their boots the remnants of the diversionary force walked out of the safety of the temple. Walking out into the silent void the sight before them was one of utter disbelief. The four to five hundred Imperial soldiers and one Sith Saber that had been within meters of overrunning them were nowhere to be found. That said neither were their fallen comrades. The windswept rocky valley looked exactly as it had when they retreated into it twenty minutes ago.

Kai and his men had just begin moving forward and saw Satele and Kira for the first time moving into the entrance arch square. Moving through ranks of soldiers he saw Taneer and the hundred troopers left from his unit moving into the entrance tunnel behind the surrounded Imperial ranks. Kai'kwon was now within twenty meters of Darth Zule, his black cloak somewhat in tatters around the bottom, his translucent face and nightmarish eyes framed with blood smears. His spiked gauntlets completed the menacing look, but as they neared each other Kai knew it wasn't he that was intimidated. Looking into those yellowish-red eyes, they both knew who was the more powerful, and Zule knew it wasn't him. With his troopers backing into the large circular complex of statues in the middle of the roundabout road nexus, the two Force users faced each other over the din and smoke of the battle raging around him. Kai raised his blade perpendicular to his forehead and quickly whipped the blade down in a flourish that was a sign of respect…Zule only gripped his hilt with both hands and held it up in the starting position of form VII. "No surrender!" Zule yelled as the two charged with the Sith Lord having to block both of Kai's strikes as they passed each other, he immediately turned back to his foe and blocked the incoming attack. After a few minutes Kai could see the outcome of the battle in his mind, he believed his enemy could see it to through the slight change in body language. It was like a game of Dejarik where the check was still six moves ahead but you played it out anyway. Zule struck with reckless abandon. The Dark side did have its disadvantages to be sure. Giving in to your anger opens up realms forbidden to Jedi such as electro-kinesis and sorcery over the mind, but that same all-consuming anger is almost always a detriment in a battle of sabers. Twice already Kai's saber came within a hair of ending the fight on his controlled counter attacks. The Sith was grunting now in his attempt to bypass Kai's guard. He waited, looking for his opening, and a moment later he saw it. Zule attempted a feint to his left, but he sensed it and sprung at the feint, forcing the Darksider to bring his blade up in defense unprepared, now it was Kai who was moving forward quickly, a strike to his left, right, Zule was nervous, losing his balance, left again, and then right followed by a spin to the right and a full backhand sweep that separated Darth Zule from his head, the latter of which went bouncing a few yards away, leaving dull thuds across the stones. Even as Kai began to look around he saw squads of Imperials everywhere dropping their blasters to the ground and raising their hands above their heads…the battle was won. The highest ranking officer, a Major Von stepped out from behind the thirty meter tall trio of bronzium statues representing the founders of Dodecapolis. The Imperial approached Satele and made a display of placing his hand blaster on the ground between them, with a mixture of disgust and honor he said, "Master Shan, on behalf of the Imperial Amry I Major Ranulf Von surrender the field". For her part Satele finished clipping her long staff hilt to her belt before saying "I respect your decision to save your men and women but as Yag'Dhul is an independent world I cannot accept your surrender". Von looked perplexed as she looked behind her and yelled "General",a tall Given approached Satele in his red armor. He slung his staff rifle over his shoulder as he approached them both, "now you were saying Major" the indignity was palpable, but the Major put on a brave face, "on behalf of the Imperial Army I major Ranulf Von surrender the field to you..General-

"Saro Tuleel",

"then I surrender the field to you General Tuleel", He said a bit faster. Tuleel scanned the field and puffed out his chest a bit, Kai'Kwon silently hoped he wouldn't gloat, and his hopes were answered a moment later, "your surrender is accepted and most welcome, since the Givin Domain is not in a state of declared war, your men will fall under the jurisdiction of the Grand Army of the Republic" to his men, mostly Givin he said "rejoice my brothers for you have defended your homes with valor!" a loud roar greeted his words from both Givin and Republic trooper alike.

Epilogue

By the time the bulk of the Fifth and Seventh Fleet arrived in system three hours later there was no one from the Imperial navy to greet them.

The Jedi stayed for two nights to help oversee the implementation of defenses outside the city, and to help with cleanup efforts. The battle had been a victory but not as lopsided as Kai would've liked; nine hundred and twenty-two troopers dead along with four hundred and eighty-six Given soldiers and civilians. Two residential apartment blocks had at least partially concaved from explosions and all three Jedi and Nika of the Rangers helped with the rescue efforts, removing large stones by way of the Force. Azi and Corso had left the morning of the third day and they made tentative plans to meet again when they had the chance. Kai'kwon and Kira were back in the Republic light cruiser Coronet, walking down the whitewashed corridors towards Satele's cabin "did she tell you why she wanted to see us?" she asked him as he nodded to a passing naval officer, who in turn stepped completely to the side and snapped off a crisp salute…there was no getting around the fact that they were war leaders now, not peace makers. "No, but I assume it's to discuss strategy, next steps" he answered back.

"I don't think so…why not wait till we got back to the Council to discuss that?"

"I don't know Kira, I guess we'll find out now" as they turned down the corridor that led to officer's cabins. Satele answered in the most casual attire Kai'Kwon had ever seen her in, silk bed clothes and a matching robe. "Please come in both of you" she said directing them to a series of couches surrounding a glass table in the center of her quarters. As they did she tied the robe around her waist and sat across from them, "Kira I want you to know that I spoke with Kai'kwon about your relationship" the fiery redhead shot lasers at Kai sitting next to her, "he did not tell me of it…he did not need to, you forget who you are trying to fool. I've already spoken to the Council about this and we have decided not to keep you apart. That didn't work the first time and we didn't want either of you to feel you could not come to us with a problem. Over the past six months you have shown that your attachment has not impeded your ability to lead, but that can change. You both must continue to train yourselves to let go of the things you fear to lose the most, in your case each other. That means not increasing your attachment because you feel you have license to do so. Marriage would be forbidden…and a child would only complicate things"

"Master we have no plans to ever have a child. We are just two very close Jedi, but Jedi is the word we will always emphasize in our relationship" she said looking somewhat uncomfortable as Kai squirmed a bit next to her. "Do you concur Kai'kwon?"

"What? Yes Master…I do", he said unable to hide his indecision.

"Very good", she said ignoring the feeling behind his answer, and uncrossed her legs and sat up to activate a vid tablet. "The defeat at Yag'Dhul has sent the empire reeling but they will regain their balance. The Dark Council immediately sent out reprisal attacks along the forty-third corridor, attacks which we are repelling for now. We must seize this momentum though or risk seeing it wasted…that is why I'm giving the two of you three days to yourselves. We have allotted a defender for your use in bay three. You will go where you want inside our space of course and you will rendezvous with the fleet at Thyferra three mornings from the morning that is quickly approaching…so without further delay I must rest and I will see the both of you at Thyferra" Kai and Kira looked at each other and then back to Satele "…you're dismissed" she said again with a smirk before laying her head down on the couch pillow.

"Thank you Master" they both said in unison standing. "One more thing Jedi Deo" she said without opening her eyes as he turned back around, "A Givin news agent used a probe recorder during the battle, which seemed to follow you from the rooftops of the Tarra quadrant of the capital".

"So. This isn't the first time we have been captured by the press" he answered looking at Kira.

"Yes, well for whatever reason; the significance of the battle, the cleaner feed, your reckless abandon if I do say so myself-

"Coming from you that's high praise Grand Master" Kai said still believing this was a non-issue, "-yes well the video has gone galaxy-wide. Here is the headline of HNNS on Coruscant this morning" she tapped the screen of the tablet and handed it to Kai, Kira strained to see the clear looped vid of a tall blonde Jedi cutting a swath through Imperial troopers at a full run, with the running title 'Republic's Savior?' he handed the tablet back to his Master unsure of the feelings he was giving off. "You see why I'm concerned? The near future will test everything we have taught you" she said.

"Master I hope you don't think I want that" he started to protest.

"Asking for it and wanting it are two very different things Kai'kwon. You both are becoming public icons, something I know about. It is not as easy as you think to shut off the things that make us sentient beings; vanity and love for self… you have done nothing wrong Jedi Deo. To the contrary you have ensured your inclusion in the Order's archives…but if we can see the tripwire ahead it makes stepping over it that much easier"

"Yes Master, of course" feeling better. Master Shan always had a way of doing that.

Walking down the corridor on the way to navigation was Lt. Kalenda Veila and Cpl. Aton Ryben. "I wish the Imps would've still been there when we got here" the human man said

"I don't know what would've been sweeter? Blasting them to pieces or seeing them turn tail and run aft-" Veila cut herself off as a door down the hall slid into its recess and outstepped two brown robed figures with their hoods down. Veila's throat caught as she saw the chiseled face and silver eyes of Kai'kwon Deo. Who she had just seen on the net. The hologram of a tall blonde human Jedi cutting a swath through Imperial forces had awed citizens on Republic worlds and galled them on Imperial worlds alike. And there he was with the Jedi Carson. She should salute…"good evening Ensign" he said as she just stood there. "Do I need to call the medics?" Ryben said chuckling when they were out of earshot.

"What?...shut up" she said more than slightly embarrassed at her fawning. Back inside the cabin Satele undid the tie on her robe and laid down. "you're sending the new darling of the press on vacation?" the deep voice came from the refresher and was followed by the door sliding open to reveal the Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, Jace Malcolm, standing shirtless with half his face covered in shaving foam. "I want to see how he handles it" Satele answered closing her eyes

"In the middle of a war? He asked returning to the mirror, "seems like an inopportune time for a test"

"as life in this world is preparation for the next, tests are preparation for those moments that determine which path we follow" he wiped the rest of his face and threw the towel in the linen chute, before walking over to the back of the couch and leaning over it "did you just think of that?" he asked

"I've been tested a great deal, it's made me quick" she opened her eyes and smiled with them. Jace leaned all the way over and planted his lips on hers. He grabbed her hand and began pulling her to bed "not quick enough to get away from this blockhead".

"Well you have to slow down sometimes" she answered seductively, and with that she let him pull her into bed. "Lights".


End file.
